Facebook users forced to download Messenger to send private messages

Facebook mobile users will soon have to download an additional app after news that it is removing the messaging feature from its central service on iPhones and Android devices to force worldwide users over to the Messenger app.

The social networking site, which originally started making users do this in Europe in April, saw “positive results” and is now requiring that all users owning an iPhone or Android device do so.

“In the next few days, we’re continuing to notify more people that if they want to send and receive Facebook messages, they’ll need to download the Messenger app. As we’ve said, our goal is to focus development efforts on making Messenger the best mobile messaging experience possible and avoid the confusion of having separate Facebook mobile messaging experiences,” read a statement provided to TechCrunch.

Users will get a number of notifications to download Messenger before it eventually stops working inside the apps and the company also plans to email customers to inform them of the change.

Mobile web, iPad, feature phone, Windows Phone, Paper and desktop users can still message inside the main Facebook page or apps as before and you feel it won’t be long until the remaining mobile and iPad users are also moved over to the new standard.

Messenger, which currently boasts 200 million users that send approximately 12 billion messages a day, has been improving almost by the month this year and the goal for CEO Mark Zuckerberg is to eventually monetise the service.

The reaction of users to the move will make and break whether or not it can eventually do this and with the large number of other options out there it remains to be seen if Facebookers will be content at having to have two apps.